Could you tell us where they found asbestos and who found it?
Frankly, asbestos is in just about everything in any building over 20 years old: drywall, insulation, wiring, caulk, glue, popcorn ceilings…the list is dozens long.
Genuine risk to depends its magnitude and whether it is airborn. The shipyard workers of WW II inhaled it for years, in high concentrations, and many died as a result, decades later.
When the current laws on asbestos were debated years ago, a big battle occurred about how to best deal with asbestos. Many scientists argued it would be safest to contain it or wrap it and not disturb it or let it get airborn. Those who argued for removal and disposal, whatever the cost, won out, which may be why you are now so greatly inconvienced and paying in both time and money, as are the other parties.
I am sorry for the price, broadly speaking, you are paying for all this. It would be good to know how the asbestos was discovered, since the subject does not typically come up when fixing a plumbing leak and related repairs.
